Electrical resistance battery handle



INVENTOR IRVING A. SPEELMAN l. A. SPEELMAN ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE BATTERY HANDLE Filed May 14, 1964 M m I 3 v 9 AM M A U0 I. 1 4 4 T H r r 2 2 l 8 i 9 l 4 Wu p FIG. I.*

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent ()filice 3,315,207 Patented Apr. 18, 1967 3,315,207 ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE BATTERY HANDLE Irving A. Speelman, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor to Propper Manufacturing Company, Inc., Long Island City, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 14, 1964, Ser. No. 367,478 6 Claims. (Cl. 338-68) This invention relates generally to electrically illuminated medical diagonstic instruments of the type consisting of a handle carrying an electrical energy source to which may be removably mounted any one of a plurality of diagostic instruments. The invention is more specifically directed to the instrument handle which is generally known as a battery handle and relates to an improvement in the construction of such handles.

Battery handles of this type are well known in the art and carry one or more batteries for powering the electrically illuminated diagnostic instruments which are selectively mounted to the handle. More recently, batteries have taken the form of rechargeable cells which may be either plugged directly into a wall socket or which may be mounted in a suitable stand for recharging.

In devices of this type it is generally desired to be able to control the current input to the diagnostic instrument attachment and, to accomplish this, many of the known constructions utilize a variable resistor or rheostat in series with the circuitry interconnecting the battery and the bulb portion of the diagnostic instrument. By adjustment of the rheostat, the illuminated brightness of the instrument may be controlled.

As may be understood, the illuminated brightness of the instrument will also vary according to the state of charge of the battery. In other words, with the device turned fully on, the brightness of the instrument bulb will be much greater when the battery is fully charged than when the battery is in a partially discharged condition. Usually, with instruments of this type, it is not desired to place the instrument in the fully-on position with the battery fully charged because the illumination from the bulb will be too bright. To overcome this, the operator usually selects an intermediate position on the rheostat to reduce the current input to the bulb, thereby cutting down the brightness. Subsequentially, as the battery discharges, the brightness of the bulb can be maintained by shunting the rheostat so that the battery is directly connected to the bulb. While this desired mode of operation can be effected with the prior art devices, such devices do not provide positive means for yieldably holding the rheostat in an intermediate adjusted position so that the operator need not continually experiment with the adjustment of the device.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a battery handle having a rheostat control which can be positively set at an intermediate, predetermined position for proper illumination of a diagnostic instrument carried by the handle when the battery in the handle is at or near a fully charged state.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for adjusting a rheostat in a battery handle and for yieldably holding the rheostat in preselected adjusted positions.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention Will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.

Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, a battery handle carries a battery adapted to contact the center pole piece within the head of the handle which chucks the various diagnostic instruments. The central pole piece includes a series connected variable resistor having a slidable wiper contact. An indicating ring slides relative to the handle base and cooperates with the wiper to control the position of the wiper as the indicator is rotated. The indicator slides on a substantially planar surface and carries a detent device which cooperates with depressions in the planar surface to yieldably hold the selector ring in certain preselected positions which at least include the fully-off position, the fully-on position and an intermediate position.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the head portion of a battery handle constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the parts which are shown in the assembled position in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the collar of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is atop plan view of the adjusting ring of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the base member of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the rheostat element of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, the battery handle in- -ment having a knurled surface to assure a non-slip grip by the operator. Only the upper or head end of the casing is shown as casings of this type are deemed conventional. A battery or series of batteries 12 are carried by the casing and, as mentioned above, the batteries may be of the rechargeable type. In fact, the bottom of the casing may include means for recharging the batteries within the casing or the batteries may be of such a type that they are removed for charging.

Casing 11 is threaded to threadedly receive a base member 13 which carries a chucking head 14 for releasable attachment of diagnostic instruments to the battery handle. Rot-atably mounted on chucking head 14 is a collar 15 which carries inwardly extending projections 16 adapted to cooperate with slots 17 in the chucking head for locking the mating diagnostic instruments to the chucking head. A typical shaft 18 of a diagnostic instrument is shown in phantom in FIGS. 1 and 2 for environmental purposes. Chucking head 18 carries a spring 19 adapted to cooperate with a pin 21 secured in collar 15 as shown in FIG. 2. Spring 19 urges collar 15 to the left as shown in FIG. 3 to cause projections 16 to extend through slots 17 to thereby prevent removal of a diagnostic instrument once it has been mounted to the battery handle. Removal may be accomplished by manually rotating collar 15 to the right against the spring and withdrawing the instrument. The chucking arrangement described herein constitutes only a preferred form of construction. The invention contemplates the utilization of any chucking construction which accomplishes the desired result. However, it should be noted that, in devices of this type, the casing forms the connection to one pole of the battery (usually the negative pole) and thus base member 13 and chucking head 14 are preferably constructed so as to electrically connect the casing to shaft 18.

The underside of base member 13 is provided with a recess in which is received rheostat element 22 preferably constructed of an insulating material. For alignment of the rheostat element relative to the base member, the rheostat element may be provided with a leg 23 having a slot 24 therein which cooperates with a rib 25 projecting from the base member to nonrotatably mount the rheostatelement relative to the base member. A spring clip 26 secures the rheostat element to the underside of the base member.

Rheostat element 22 carries, on the lower side thereof, a contact 27 in engagement with a pole of battery 12. A metallic shaft 28 is mounted to rheostat element 22 on the side opposite to the side carrying contact 27 but, as shown in FIG. 2, shaft 28 does not extend through the insulating material from which the rheostat element is formed to thereby electrically insulate contact 27 and shaft 28. A wound variable resistance 29 is mounted to the top surface of rheostat element 22 and is connected to contact 27 through pin 31. A metallic plate 35 is connected to the pin and extends toward the wound resistance. Rotatably mounted on shaft 28 is a wiper arm 32 having a contact point 33 adapted to traverse the windings of variable resistance 29 as the wiper arm is rotated. Through cooperation between the variable resistance and the wiper arm, shaft 28 is electrically connected to contact 27 through the rheostat. When contact point 33 is in the position shown in FIG. 7, the circuit is completely broken and the device is in the fully-off position. When wiper arm 32 is rotated in the clockwise direction to place contact point 33 in contact with metallic plate '35, the rheostat is shunted and a direct connection is provided between contact 27 and shaft 28. This is the fully-on position. By traversing the contact point over variable resistance 29, varying amounts of resistance may be introduced in the circuit. Note that shaft 28 which extends within chucking head 14 must be insulated therefrom by means of an insulator 34 as the shaft and chucking head are connected to opposite poles of the battery for powering the illuminated diagnostic instruments that are mounted thereto.

An adjusting ring 41 molded of an insulating material is rotatably mounted about chucking head 14. The outer surface of the adjusting ring may be provided with serrations 42 for ease of rotation of the adjusting ring. Adjusting ring 41 also carries an indicator mark 43 for purposes to be hereinafter described. The lower surface 44 is planar to mate with the upper planar surface 45 of the base member. In the assembled position, the surfaces overlie one another in sliding contact as the adjusting ring is rotated. A shaft 46 projects downwardly from the lower surface of adjusting ring 41 and extends through an elongated arcuate slot 47 in the base member to engage a slot 48 in wiper arm 32. The cooperation between the shaft 46 and the elongated arcuate slot 47 limit the arcuate rotation of the adjusting ring. As the adjusting ring is rotated, shaft 46 causes the wiper arm to be rotated between the fully-on and fully-off positions and slot 47 is sufliciently long to permit the full traversal of the wiper arm between these positions. Suitable indicia are carried by base member 13 to visually indicate the position of the wiper arm through indicator mark 43. The fully-off position is indicated by the numeral and the fully-on position is indicated by the numeral 1. A preferred intermediate position for giving proper illumination when the batteries are at or near a fully charged state is indicated by the line identified as 49.

Upper surface 45 of the base member carries a pair of depressions in the form of radial grooves 51 and an intermediate depression 52, a hole 53 in the lower surface of adjusting ring 41 carries a spring 54 and a ball 55. In the assembled position, with the upper and lower surfaces mating, upper surface 45 deflects ball 55 into hole 53 against spring 54. As the adjusting ring is rotated, the ball traverses upper surface 45 and at the fullyoff and fully-on positions is received in one of grooves 51 to provide a yieldable detent against accidental rotation of the adjusting ring. At the selected intermediate position of the wiper arm, ball 55 is urged, by spring 54, into depression 52 to provide a yieldable detent for bolding the rheostat in the optimum intermediate position providing proper illumination when the battery is in or near the fully charged state. With ball 55 projecting into depression 52, indicator mark 4-3 will be in alignment with indicia line 49. Of course, the yieldable detent arrangement does not prevent the operator from manually traversing the wiper arm, by rotation of the adjusting ring, to any position along the variable resistance. However, by the mechanism provided, the optimum intermediate position is preselected for the operator. A spring collar 56 encircles chucking head 14 to hold the adjusting ring in contact with upper surface 45 of the base member.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also understood that the following claims are in tended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:

1. In a battery handle the combination including a base member, a variable resistance carried by said base member, a wiper arm mounted for traversal of and engagement with said variable resistance, adjusting means in engagement with said wiper arm for operating said wiper arm, and detent means cooperating between said adjusting means and said base member for yieldably holding said wiper arm in any one of three selected positions, one of said three selected positions being a fully-off position with said wiper arm out of engagement with said variable resistance.

2. In a battery handle the combination including a base member, a variable resistance carried by said base member, a wiper arm mounted for traversal of and engagement with said variable resistance and adjustable between a fuly-off and fully-on position, adjusting means in engagement with said wiper arm for operating said wiper arm between said positions, and detent means cooperating between said adjusting means and said base member for yieldably holding said wiper arm in a fully-off position, a fully-on position, and a position intermediate said fullyoff and said fully-on positions, said wiper arm in said fully-off position being out of engagement with said variable resistance.

3. In a battery handle of the type having a base member, a variable resistance carried by said base member, a wiper arm rotatably mounted to traverse and engage said variable resistance and adjusting means in engagement with said wiper arm for rotating said wiper arm between a fully-01f and a fully-on position, the combination including detent means cooperating between said adjusting means and said base member for yieldably holding said wiper arm in a fully-off position, a fully-on position, and a position intermediate said fully-off and fully-on positions, said wiper arm in said fully-off position being out of engagement with said variable resistance.

4. The combination of claim '3 wherein said base member has a planar surface mating with a planar surface on said adjusting means and wherein said detent means includes a hole in one of said planar surfaces, a spring within said hole, a ball urged outwardly by said spring against the other of said planar surfaces and three circumferentially spaced depressions in said other of said planar surfaces for receiving said ball under the urging of said spring, said depressions corresponding with said fully-off, fully-on and intermediate positions of said wiper arm.

5. The combination of claim 3 wherein said base member has a planar surface mating with a-planar surface on said adjusting means and wherein said detent means includes a hole in the planar surface of said adjusting means, a spring within said hole, a ball urged outwardly by said spring against the planar surface of said base member and three circumferentially spaced depressions in the planar surface of said base member for receiving said ball under the urging of said spring, said depressions corresponding with the fully-off, fully-on and intermediate positions of said Wiper arm.

6. The combination of claim 5 and further including an arcuate slot in said base member and a shaft projecting from said adjusting means into said arcuate slot, said shaft cooperating with said arcu'ate slot by engagement with the ends thereof to define the limits of movement of said adjusting means relative to said base member, said shaft engaging said wiper arm for controlling the position thereof.

1,264,520 4/1918 Holmes 33871 1,343,689 6/1920 Smith 33872 1,655,554 1/1928 Ley 128406 1,927,301 9/1933 Weichelt 33872 2,659,372 11/1953 Andresen 128-406 2,999,148 9/1961 Kay 338-73 3,251,016 5/1966 Manetti et a1. 33873 RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner. W. D. BROOKS, Assistant Examiner. 

3. IN A BATTERY HANDLE OF THE TYPE HAVING A BASE MEMBER, A VARIABLE RESISTANCE CARRIED BY SAID BASE MEMBER, A WIPER ARM ROTATABLY MOUNTED TO TRANSVERSE AND ENGAGE SAID VARIABLE RESISTANCE AND ADJUSTING MEANS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID WIPER ARM FOR ROTATING SAID WIPER ARM BETWEEN A FULLY-OFF AND A FULLY-ON POSITION, THE COMBINATION INCLUDING DETENT MEANS COOPERATING BETWEEN SAID ADJUSTING MEANS AND SAID BASE MEMBER FOR YIELDABLY HOLDING SAID WIPER ARM IN A FULLY-OFF POSITION, A FULLY-ON POSITION, AND A POSITION INTERMEDIATE SAID FULLY-OFF AND FULLY-ON POSITIONS, SAID WIPER ARM IN SAID FULLY-OFF POSITION BEING OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID VARIABLE RESISTANCE. 